England’s selection panel is set to be disbanded at the end of the season as Andrew Strauss shakes up the way teams are picked in the wake of Jimmy Anderson’s controversial omission at Lord’s.

Director of cricket Strauss is prepared to act after England went into the first Test against Pakistan without their best bowler, even though captain Alastair Cook and coach Trevor Bayliss wanted him to play.

James Whitaker’s trio of selectors acted on medical advice in urging caution over the return of Anderson, but Cook and Bayliss were happy to take the bowler’s word that he had recovered from a shoulder problem.

Andrew Strauss (left) is set to disband England's selection panel at the end of the season

The director of cricket has taken the side of the England coach following the controversial selection at Lord's

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ENGLAND SELECTORS

A member of England's 1986-87 Ashes-winning squad, Whitaker was a right-handed batsman who played just one Test in his 16-year career.

The former Leicestershire player became an England selector in 2008 and succeeded Geoff Miller as chairman of selectors in early 2014.

ANGUS FRASER

Imposing former England seamer Angus Fraser played 46 times in a nine-year Test career. He took 177 wickets with an impressive average of 27.

After retiring from the game in 2002 he moved into journalism, covering cricket for the now defunct newspaper The Independent. He became a selector in 2014 after Andy Flower stepped down as England coach and is managing director of cricket for his former county Middlesex.

MICK NEWELL

Former batsman Newell played 102 times in a first-class career spanning eight years. He has been Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket since 2002.

Newell succeeded Ashley Giles on the England selection panel in April 2014 after being interviewed for the head coach role that was taken by Trevor Bayliss.

There was also discord between Bayliss and the selectors — Whitaker, Angus Fraser and Mick Newell — over the middle order, with the Australian advocating Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler before being overruled by the selectors, who chose Gary Ballance.

Strauss was expected to make the sacking of Whitaker one of his first moves upon taking charge of the England setup last year, but after replacing Peter Moores with Bayliss and defusing yet another row over Kevin Pietersen he kept the status quo.

England’s unexpected Ashes victory last summer bought the selectors time but warning signs that the panel was not working properly were there at the start of this summer when batsman Nick Compton was retained against all logic.

Strauss has invariably sat in on selection meetings since replacing Paul Downton at the helm and the most likely move is for him to replace the trio himself by overseeing all selections with Bayliss and Cook.

The selectors were keeping their views to themselves yesterday on the rift that has developed between them and the captain and coach, but an England spokesman said Whitaker may have his say after the second Test at Old Trafford that begins on Friday.

It was revealing, though, that they named a 14-man squad for that second Test after believing 12 was plenty last time, a move that did not even allow them to include Anderson and give him a chance to prove his fitness.

It either underlines confusion over the best players available or is the selectors’ way of giving Cook and Bayliss as many options as possible so the panel cannot be blamed if it goes wrong. They are saying: you pick the team, then!

Trevor Bayliss and Alastair Cook wanted Jimmy Anderson included, but he was ruled out on medical advice

Strauss was expected to make the sacking of James Whitaker (right) one of his first moves in the job

Bayliss has always taken a relaxed view on selection, accepting he does not know enough about county cricket yet to take issue with selectors who are paid to watch the domestic game and identify the best prospects.

But he can be provided with DVD footage of every county match now, so can take a close look at any player without having to travel to matches. The Australian also relies heavily on the views of his assistant Paul Farbrace, who has extensive knowledge of the county game, and he could be given a say in selection under the new system.

Clearly, a new panel of Strauss, Bayliss and Cook, with Farbrace helping, would still need scouts who can spend time watching Division One games while also working with the next generation in the England Lions.

Whitaker’s trio of selectors acted on medical advice in urging caution over the return of Anderson

Bayliss had wanted to pick Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler in England's middle order for the first Test

Who better, then, than former England coach Andy Flower as a ‘super scout’ working closely with Bayliss and being reunited on selection with his ex-captain Strauss?

When Flower resigned as coach after the 5-0 Ashes thrashing he was handed a role within the ECB as director of elite coaching, but is much more closely involved now in his latest post as Lions coach.

Flower is the most successful coach England have had and should be involved as much as possible, working with a man he admires in Bayliss. England would then have their best cricket brains together and embarrassing situations such as the one which saw them fail to field their best side in the defeat by Pakistan could be avoided.

It is a scenario that could exist from September, with Whitaker, Fraser and Newell all then surplus to requirements.

Northants’ Ben Duckett scored an unbeaten 163 from 104 balls to steer the Lions to a seven-wicket one-day victory over Pakistan A at Cheltenham.

The selectors decide to include Gary Ballance in the 12-man squad for the Lord's Test against Pakistan

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Andrew Strauss to sack England's selectors at the end of the season after Jimmy Anderson's controversial omission at Lord's